Chapter 26 - THE FINAL SETTLEMENT
It took six months for the legal dust to settle.
The manufacturer of the brace, terrified of a class-action lawsuit regarding their titanium-housing models, agreed to a quiet, out-of-court settlement. It wasn't millions, but it was enough to pay off the mortgage, secure Grandpa's spot at Cedar Mountain for the rest of his life, and put a small nest egg away for Lily's college.
David sold the auto shop anyway. He realized he had been holding onto a failing business out of stubbornness, letting his family suffer to protect his ego. He took a job as a master technician at a large dealership across town. The pay was steady, the hours were capped, and when he came home, he didn't smell like burnt transmission fluid.
Claire stopped obsessively checking the bank accounts. The crushing weight of their hidden debts had finally lifted.
But the hardest work fell to Lily.
Three years of forced atrophy meant her leg muscles were practically nonexistent. The physical therapy was agonizing. Without the brace restricting her, she had to reteach her nerves and tendons how to bear her own weight.
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There were days she sat on the living room floor and cried, frustrated that her own sacrifice had left her so physically broken. But David was there every single time. He didn't fix things with tools anymore. He just sat on the floor beside her and held her hand until she was ready to try again.
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